zprávy

As the declaration of Galileo Initial Services approaches, the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG) is holding a special side event on multi-GNSS cooperation during the 2016 European Space Solutions conference.

With the declaration of Galileo Initial Services set for later this year, it will soon join the ranks of GPS and GLONASS, among others, as part of a multi-constellation environment. To learn more about the importance of multi-global navigation satellite system (GNSS) cooperation, the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG) is hosting a half-day side event during the European Space Solutions Conference. The event, entitled ‘The ICG, multifunction GNSS signals, and how to protect them’ is scheduled for 1 June.

Although Galileo is a European Union project, cooperation with non-EU partners is essential for its success. As satellite navigation systems expand globally, the goal of the ICG is to ensure they remain fully compatible and interoperable – and for this, international cooperation is crucial.

“As the Executive Secretariat of the ICG, it is our hope that collaboration among GNSS providers and user communities will continue to grow in the future, said Sharafat Gadimova from the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. “We support the broader objective of integrating GNSS and their augmentations into the infrastructure of developing nations, at governmental, scientific and commercial level.”

The future power of GNSS will not come from a single system, but from systems working together to achieve a common goal. “With a ‘system of systems’, users will benefit from better coverage and accuracy with greater positioning confidence,” says European GNSS Agency (GSA) Executive Director, Carlo des Dorides. “Although the range of applications is already large, with the new accuracy, reliability and confidence offered by Galileo, this will only grow.”

Protecting against interference

The ICG session at European Space Solutions will cover such important topics as interference detection and mitigation, among others.

The spoofing and jamming of GNSS signals is becoming an increasing concern, especially as the technology becomes more and more embedded in critical infrastructures. In fact, it is estimated that nearly 6 % of EU gross domestic product (GDP) – worth EUR 80 billion – relies on satellite navigation. Hence, an increased reliability and trustworthiness of position and timing information becomes critical.  In this capacity, Galileo’s authenticated services will provide major benefits to users and help protect the global GNSS village.

The details

Scientists, developers, entrepreneurs, policy-makers and end-users can join thought leaders from the ICG, various national satellite navigation agencies and academia to share technical expertise and experiences, and to put forth recommendations to the ICG and its working groups.

The ICG was established in 2005 under the umbrella of the United Nations and is charged with promoting voluntary cooperation on matters of mutual interest related to civil satellite-based positioning, navigation, timing and value-added services. Among its core missions is the coordination among providers of GNSS, regional systems and augmentations in order to ensure greater compatibility, interoperability and transparency – and to promote the introduction and utilisation of these services and their future enhancements, including in developing countries.

More information and how to register can be found here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

When it comes to GNSS, authentication is one of the most important topics. At the 13th Munich Satellite Navigation Summit, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) discussed authentication within the framework of Galileo.

GNSS applications are vulnerable to both voluntary and involuntary interferences, meaning that providing at least some level of authentication is a complex task. To address this important topic, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) recently participated in a dedicated session on GNSS authentication services – and in particular Galileo’s authentication capabilities – as part of the Munich Satellite Navigation Summit.

GSA Market Development Officer Reinhard Blasi discussed the different levels of authentication in Galileo’s Open, Commercial and PRS services – all of which will soon be available. In particular he stressed the authentication capabilities of the Galileo Open Service and Commercial Service, a unique feature that only the Galileo constellation can provide. “These are complementary services catering to differentiated market with specific needs for certain level of authentication,” he said. “Based on a recent consultation with industry, we know that authentication is a feature they are willing to implement and the GSA is supporting its implementation in order to add value to the various value chains and markets.”

An example of this support is the GSA’s Fundamental Elements programme, a new research and development funding mechanism supporting the development of chipsets and receivers. The programme will run through 2020 and has a projected budget of EUR 100 million. The main objective of the initiative is to facilitate the development of such fundamental elements as Galileo-enabled chipsets and receivers. Already several projects covering authentication have received funding, including a safety critical European GNSS engine, liability critical European GNSS engine, Commercial Service user terminal, Open Service authentication user terminals and a timing receiver for critical infrastructure.

Major benefits to users

According to the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG Growth) Project Officer, Service Provision and Exploitation Ignacio Fernandez Hernandez, 6% of EU gross domestic product (GDP) – worth EUR 80 billion – relies on satellite navigation. Hence, an increased reliability and trustworthiness of position and timing information is critical. 

“The proposed Galileo authenticated services will provide major benefits to users at a very low additional cost to the programme,” he said. Galileo will start to transmit the Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (NMA) as of 2018, and it will be included in the full operational capability in 2020. “NMA capability can be added to receivers with low impact and no reduction in performance,” added Hernandez. “So authentication can be a reality, providing a service that is useful and helps protect the global GNSS village.”

The Galileo Commercial Service recently underwent the first authentication test of the Galileo E6 signal, which demonstrated low levels of error. The next step is a full demonstration using simulated testing environments at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). Once a robust Signal in Space is available, real environment testing will take place to characterise performance in both adversarial and non-adversarial conditions.

Update from the US

On the US side of the equation no civil signal authentication is currently available via GPS and, according to Director of the US National Coordination Office for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Harold Martin, there are no plans to change this in the next generation GPSIII. Martin did note, however, that the US remains interested in EU developments in this area and continues to explore possibilities for future authentication, possibly via a WAAS data channel.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

When it comes to GNSS, authentication is one of the most important topics. At the 13th Munich Satellite Navigation Summit, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) discussed authentication within the framework of Galileo.

GNSS applications are vulnerable to both voluntary and involuntary interferences, meaning that providing at least some level of authentication is a complex task. To address this important topic, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) recently participated in a dedicated session on GNSS authentication services – and in particular Galileo’s authentication capabilities – as part of the Munich Satellite Navigation Summit.

GSA Market Development Officer Reinhard Blasi discussed the different levels of authentication in Galileo’s Open, Commercial and PRS services – all of which will soon be available. In particular he stressed the authentication capabilities of the Galileo Open Service and Commercial Service, a unique feature that only the Galileo constellation can provide. “These are complementary services catering to differentiated market with specific needs for certain level of authentication,” he said. “Based on a recent consultation with industry, we know that authentication is a feature they are willing to implement and the GSA is supporting its implementation in order to add value to the various value chains and markets.”

An example of this support is the GSA’s Fundamental Elements programme, a new research and development funding mechanism supporting the development of chipsets and receivers. The programme will run through 2020 and has a projected budget of EUR 100 million. The main objective of the initiative is to facilitate the development of such fundamental elements as Galileo-enabled chipsets and receivers. Already several projects covering authentication have received funding, including a safety critical European GNSS engine, liability critical European GNSS engine, Commercial Service user terminal, Open Service authentication user terminals and a timing receiver for critical infrastructure.

Major benefits to users

According to the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG Growth) Project Officer, Service Provision and Exploitation Ignacio Fernandez Hernandez, 6% of EU gross domestic product (GDP) – worth EUR 80 billion – relies on satellite navigation. Hence, an increased reliability and trustworthiness of position and timing information is critical. 

“The proposed Galileo authenticated services will provide major benefits to users at a very low additional cost to the programme,” he said. Galileo will start to transmit the Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (NMA) as of 2018, and it will be included in the full operational capability in 2020. “NMA capability can be added to receivers with low impact and no reduction in performance,” added Hernandez. “So authentication can be a reality, providing a service that is useful and helps protect the global GNSS village.”

The Galileo Commercial Service recently underwent the first authentication test of the Galileo E6 signal, which demonstrated low levels of error. The next step is a full demonstration using simulated testing environments at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). Once a robust Signal in Space is available, real environment testing will take place to characterise performance in both adversarial and non-adversarial conditions.

Update from the US

On the US side of the equation no civil signal authentication is currently available via GPS and, according to Director of the US National Coordination Office for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Harold Martin, there are no plans to change this in the next generation GPSIII. Martin did note, however, that the US remains interested in EU developments in this area and continues to explore possibilities for future authentication, possibly via a WAAS data channel.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

When it comes to GNSS, authentication is one of the most important topics. At the 13th Munich Satellite Navigation Summit, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) discussed authentication within the framework of Galileo.

GNSS applications are vulnerable to both voluntary and involuntary interferences, meaning that providing at least some level of authentication is a complex task. To address this important topic, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) recently participated in a dedicated session on GNSS authentication services – and in particular Galileo’s authentication capabilities – as part of the Munich Satellite Navigation Summit.

GSA Market Development Officer Reinhard Blasi discussed the different levels of authentication in Galileo’s Open, Commercial and PRS services – all of which will soon be available. In particular he stressed the authentication capabilities of the Galileo Open Service and Commercial Service, a unique feature that only the Galileo constellation can provide. “These are complementary services catering to differentiated market with specific needs for certain level of authentication,” he said. “Based on a recent consultation with industry, we know that authentication is a feature they are willing to implement and the GSA is supporting its implementation in order to add value to the various value chains and markets.”

An example of this support is the GSA’s Fundamental Elements programme, a new research and development funding mechanism supporting the development of chipsets and receivers. The programme will run through 2020 and has a projected budget of EUR 100 million. The main objective of the initiative is to facilitate the development of such fundamental elements as Galileo-enabled chipsets and receivers. Already several projects covering authentication have received funding, including a safety critical European GNSS engine, liability critical European GNSS engine, Commercial Service user terminal, Open Service authentication user terminals and a timing receiver for critical infrastructure.

Major benefits to users

According to the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG Growth) Project Officer, Service Provision and Exploitation Ignacio Fernandez Hernandez, 6% of EU gross domestic product (GDP) – worth EUR 80 billion – relies on satellite navigation. Hence, an increased reliability and trustworthiness of position and timing information is critical. 

“The proposed Galileo authenticated services will provide major benefits to users at a very low additional cost to the programme,” he said. Galileo will start to transmit the Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (NMA) as of 2018, and it will be included in the full operational capability in 2020. “NMA capability can be added to receivers with low impact and no reduction in performance,” added Hernandez. “So authentication can be a reality, providing a service that is useful and helps protect the global GNSS village.”

The Galileo Commercial Service recently underwent the first authentication test of the Galileo E6 signal, which demonstrated low levels of error. The next step is a full demonstration using simulated testing environments at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). Once a robust Signal in Space is available, real environment testing will take place to characterise performance in both adversarial and non-adversarial conditions.

Update from the US

On the US side of the equation no civil signal authentication is currently available via GPS and, according to Director of the US National Coordination Office for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Harold Martin, there are no plans to change this in the next generation GPSIII. Martin did note, however, that the US remains interested in EU developments in this area and continues to explore possibilities for future authentication, possibly via a WAAS data channel.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).